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><DIV
CLASS="SECT1"
><H1
CLASS="SECT1"
><A
NAME="FUNCTIONS-FORMATTING"
>9.8. Data Type Formatting Functions</A
></H1
><P
>    The <SPAN
CLASS="PRODUCTNAME"
>PostgreSQL</SPAN
> formatting functions
    provide a powerful set of tools for converting various data types
    (date/time, integer, floating point, numeric) to formatted strings
    and for converting from formatted strings to specific data types.
    <A
HREF="functions-formatting.html#FUNCTIONS-FORMATTING-TABLE"
>Table 9-20</A
> lists them.
    These functions all follow a common calling convention: the first
    argument is the value to be formatted and the second argument is a
    template that defines the output or input format.
   </P
><P
>    A single-argument <CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>to_timestamp</CODE
> function is also
    available;  it accepts a
    <TT
CLASS="TYPE"
>double precision</TT
> argument and converts from Unix epoch
    (seconds since 1970-01-01 00:00:00+00) to
    <TT
CLASS="TYPE"
>timestamp with time zone</TT
>.
    (<TT
CLASS="TYPE"
>Integer</TT
> Unix epochs are implicitly cast to
    <TT
CLASS="TYPE"
>double precision</TT
>.)
   </P
><DIV
CLASS="TABLE"
><A
NAME="FUNCTIONS-FORMATTING-TABLE"
></A
><P
><B
>Table 9-20. Formatting Functions</B
></P
><TABLE
BORDER="1"
CLASS="CALSTABLE"
><COL><COL><COL><COL><THEAD
><TR
><TH
>Function</TH
><TH
>Return Type</TH
><TH
>Description</TH
><TH
>Example</TH
></TR
></THEAD
><TBODY
><TR
><TD
>         
         <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
><CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>to_char(<TT
CLASS="TYPE"
>timestamp</TT
>, <TT
CLASS="TYPE"
>text</TT
>)</CODE
></TT
>
        </TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="TYPE"
>text</TT
></TD
><TD
>convert time stamp to string</TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(current_timestamp, 'HH12:MI:SS')</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
><CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>to_char(<TT
CLASS="TYPE"
>interval</TT
>, <TT
CLASS="TYPE"
>text</TT
>)</CODE
></TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="TYPE"
>text</TT
></TD
><TD
>convert interval to string</TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(interval '15h&nbsp;2m&nbsp;12s', 'HH24:MI:SS')</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
><CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>to_char(<TT
CLASS="TYPE"
>int</TT
>, <TT
CLASS="TYPE"
>text</TT
>)</CODE
></TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="TYPE"
>text</TT
></TD
><TD
>convert integer to string</TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(125, '999')</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
><CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>to_char</CODE
>(<TT
CLASS="TYPE"
>double precision</TT
>,
        <TT
CLASS="TYPE"
>text</TT
>)</TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="TYPE"
>text</TT
></TD
><TD
>convert real/double precision to string</TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(125.8::real, '999D9')</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
><CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>to_char(<TT
CLASS="TYPE"
>numeric</TT
>, <TT
CLASS="TYPE"
>text</TT
>)</CODE
></TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="TYPE"
>text</TT
></TD
><TD
>convert numeric to string</TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(-125.8, '999D99S')</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
>         
         <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
><CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>to_date(<TT
CLASS="TYPE"
>text</TT
>, <TT
CLASS="TYPE"
>text</TT
>)</CODE
></TT
>
        </TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="TYPE"
>date</TT
></TD
><TD
>convert string to date</TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_date('05&nbsp;Dec&nbsp;2000', 'DD&nbsp;Mon&nbsp;YYYY')</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
>         
         <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
><CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>to_number(<TT
CLASS="TYPE"
>text</TT
>, <TT
CLASS="TYPE"
>text</TT
>)</CODE
></TT
>
        </TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="TYPE"
>numeric</TT
></TD
><TD
>convert string to numeric</TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_number('12,454.8-', '99G999D9S')</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
>         
         <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
><CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>to_timestamp(<TT
CLASS="TYPE"
>text</TT
>, <TT
CLASS="TYPE"
>text</TT
>)</CODE
></TT
>
        </TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="TYPE"
>timestamp with time zone</TT
></TD
><TD
>convert string to time stamp</TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_timestamp('05&nbsp;Dec&nbsp;2000', 'DD&nbsp;Mon&nbsp;YYYY')</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
><CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>to_timestamp(<TT
CLASS="TYPE"
>double precision</TT
>)</CODE
></TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="TYPE"
>timestamp with time zone</TT
></TD
><TD
>convert Unix epoch to time stamp</TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_timestamp(1284352323)</TT
></TD
></TR
></TBODY
></TABLE
></DIV
><P
>    In a <CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>to_char</CODE
> output template string, there are certain
    patterns that are recognized and replaced with appropriately-formatted
    data based on the given value.  Any text that is not a template pattern is
    simply copied verbatim.  Similarly, in an input template string (for the
    other functions), template patterns identify the values to be supplied by
    the input data string.
   </P
><P
>   <A
HREF="functions-formatting.html#FUNCTIONS-FORMATTING-DATETIME-TABLE"
>Table 9-21</A
> shows the
   template patterns available for formatting date and time values.
  </P
><DIV
CLASS="TABLE"
><A
NAME="FUNCTIONS-FORMATTING-DATETIME-TABLE"
></A
><P
><B
>Table 9-21. Template Patterns for Date/Time Formatting</B
></P
><TABLE
BORDER="1"
CLASS="CALSTABLE"
><COL><COL><THEAD
><TR
><TH
>Pattern</TH
><TH
>Description</TH
></TR
></THEAD
><TBODY
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>HH</TT
></TD
><TD
>hour of day (01-12)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>HH12</TT
></TD
><TD
>hour of day (01-12)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>HH24</TT
></TD
><TD
>hour of day (00-23)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>MI</TT
></TD
><TD
>minute (00-59)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>SS</TT
></TD
><TD
>second (00-59)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>MS</TT
></TD
><TD
>millisecond (000-999)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>US</TT
></TD
><TD
>microsecond (000000-999999)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>SSSS</TT
></TD
><TD
>seconds past midnight (0-86399)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>AM</TT
>, <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>am</TT
>,
        <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>PM</TT
> or <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>pm</TT
></TD
><TD
>meridiem indicator (without periods)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>A.M.</TT
>, <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>a.m.</TT
>,
        <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>P.M.</TT
> or <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>p.m.</TT
></TD
><TD
>meridiem indicator (with periods)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>Y,YYY</TT
></TD
><TD
>year (4 and more digits) with comma</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>YYYY</TT
></TD
><TD
>year (4 and more digits)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>YYY</TT
></TD
><TD
>last 3 digits of year</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>YY</TT
></TD
><TD
>last 2 digits of year</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>Y</TT
></TD
><TD
>last digit of year</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>IYYY</TT
></TD
><TD
>ISO year (4 and more digits)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>IYY</TT
></TD
><TD
>last 3 digits of ISO year</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>IY</TT
></TD
><TD
>last 2 digits of ISO year</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>I</TT
></TD
><TD
>last digit of ISO year</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>BC</TT
>, <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>bc</TT
>,
        <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>AD</TT
> or <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>ad</TT
></TD
><TD
>era indicator (without periods)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>B.C.</TT
>, <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>b.c.</TT
>,
        <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>A.D.</TT
> or <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>a.d.</TT
></TD
><TD
>era indicator (with periods)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>MONTH</TT
></TD
><TD
>full upper case month name (blank-padded to 9 chars)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>Month</TT
></TD
><TD
>full capitalized month name (blank-padded to 9 chars)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>month</TT
></TD
><TD
>full lower case month name (blank-padded to 9 chars)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>MON</TT
></TD
><TD
>abbreviated upper case month name (3 chars in English, localized lengths vary)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>Mon</TT
></TD
><TD
>abbreviated capitalized month name (3 chars in English, localized lengths vary)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>mon</TT
></TD
><TD
>abbreviated lower case month name (3 chars in English, localized lengths vary)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>MM</TT
></TD
><TD
>month number (01-12)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>DAY</TT
></TD
><TD
>full upper case day name (blank-padded to 9 chars)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>Day</TT
></TD
><TD
>full capitalized day name (blank-padded to 9 chars)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>day</TT
></TD
><TD
>full lower case day name (blank-padded to 9 chars)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>DY</TT
></TD
><TD
>abbreviated upper case day name (3 chars in English, localized lengths vary)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>Dy</TT
></TD
><TD
>abbreviated capitalized day name (3 chars in English, localized lengths vary)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>dy</TT
></TD
><TD
>abbreviated lower case day name (3 chars in English, localized lengths vary)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>DDD</TT
></TD
><TD
>day of year (001-366)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>IDDD</TT
></TD
><TD
>ISO day of year (001-371; day 1 of the year is Monday of the first ISO week.)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>DD</TT
></TD
><TD
>day of month (01-31)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>D</TT
></TD
><TD
>day of the week, Sunday(<TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>1</TT
>) to Saturday(<TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>7</TT
>)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>ID</TT
></TD
><TD
>ISO day of the week, Monday(<TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>1</TT
>) to Sunday(<TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>7</TT
>)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>W</TT
></TD
><TD
>week of month (1-5) (The first week starts on the first day of the month.)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>WW</TT
></TD
><TD
>week number of year (1-53) (The first week starts on the first day of the year.)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>IW</TT
></TD
><TD
>ISO week number of year (01 - 53; the first Thursday of the new year is in week 1.)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>CC</TT
></TD
><TD
>century (2 digits) (The twenty-first century starts on 2001-01-01.)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>J</TT
></TD
><TD
>Julian Day (days since November 24, 4714 BC at midnight)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>Q</TT
></TD
><TD
>quarter (ignored by <CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>to_date</CODE
> and <CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>to_timestamp</CODE
>)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>RM</TT
></TD
><TD
>month in upper case Roman numerals (I-XII; I=January)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>rm</TT
></TD
><TD
>month in lower case Roman numerals (i-xii; i=January)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>TZ</TT
></TD
><TD
>upper case time-zone name</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>tz</TT
></TD
><TD
>lower case time-zone name</TD
></TR
></TBODY
></TABLE
></DIV
><P
>    Modifiers can be applied to any template pattern to alter its
    behavior.  For example, <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>FMMonth</TT
>
    is the <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>Month</TT
> pattern with the
    <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>FM</TT
> modifier.
    <A
HREF="functions-formatting.html#FUNCTIONS-FORMATTING-DATETIMEMOD-TABLE"
>Table 9-22</A
> shows the
    modifier patterns for date/time formatting.
   </P
><DIV
CLASS="TABLE"
><A
NAME="FUNCTIONS-FORMATTING-DATETIMEMOD-TABLE"
></A
><P
><B
>Table 9-22. Template Pattern Modifiers for Date/Time Formatting</B
></P
><TABLE
BORDER="1"
CLASS="CALSTABLE"
><COL><COL><COL><THEAD
><TR
><TH
>Modifier</TH
><TH
>Description</TH
><TH
>Example</TH
></TR
></THEAD
><TBODY
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>FM</TT
> prefix</TD
><TD
>fill mode (suppress padding blanks and trailing zeroes)</TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>FMMonth</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>TH</TT
> suffix</TD
><TD
>upper case ordinal number suffix</TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>DDTH</TT
>, e.g., <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>12TH</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>th</TT
> suffix</TD
><TD
>lower case ordinal number suffix</TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>DDth</TT
>, e.g., <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>12th</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>FX</TT
> prefix</TD
><TD
>fixed format global option (see usage notes)</TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>FX&nbsp;Month&nbsp;DD&nbsp;Day</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>TM</TT
> prefix</TD
><TD
>translation mode (print localized day and month names based on
         <A
HREF="runtime-config-client.html#GUC-LC-TIME"
>lc_time</A
>)</TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>TMMonth</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>SP</TT
> suffix</TD
><TD
>spell mode (not implemented)</TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>DDSP</TT
></TD
></TR
></TBODY
></TABLE
></DIV
><P
>    Usage notes for date/time formatting:

    <P
></P
></P><UL
><LI
><P
>       <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>FM</TT
> suppresses leading zeroes and trailing blanks
       that would otherwise be added to make the output of a pattern be
       fixed-width.  In <SPAN
CLASS="PRODUCTNAME"
>PostgreSQL</SPAN
>,
       <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>FM</TT
> modifies only the next specification, while in
       Oracle <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>FM</TT
> affects all subsequent
       specifications, and repeated <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>FM</TT
> modifiers
       toggle fill mode on and off.
      </P
></LI
><LI
><P
>       <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>TM</TT
> does not include trailing blanks.
      </P
></LI
><LI
><P
>       <CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>to_timestamp</CODE
> and <CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>to_date</CODE
>
       skip multiple blank spaces in the input string unless the
       <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>FX</TT
> option is used. For example,
       <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_timestamp('2000&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;JUN', 'YYYY MON')</TT
> works, but
       <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_timestamp('2000&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;JUN', 'FXYYYY MON')</TT
> returns an error
       because <CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>to_timestamp</CODE
> expects one space only.
       <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>FX</TT
> must be specified as the first item in
       the template.
      </P
></LI
><LI
><P
>       Ordinary text is allowed in <CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>to_char</CODE
>
       templates and will be output literally.  You can put a substring
       in double quotes to force it to be interpreted as literal text
       even if it contains pattern key words.  For example, in
       <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>'"Hello Year "YYYY'</TT
>, the <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>YYYY</TT
>
       will be replaced by the year data, but the single <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>Y</TT
> in <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>Year</TT
>
       will not be.  In <CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>to_date</CODE
>, <CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>to_number</CODE
>,
       and <CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>to_timestamp</CODE
>, double-quoted strings skip the number of
       input characters contained in the string, e.g. <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>"XX"</TT
>
       skips two input characters.
      </P
></LI
><LI
><P
>       If you want to have a double quote in the output you must
       precede it with a backslash, for example <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>E'\\"YYYY
       Month\\"'</TT
>. 
       (Two backslashes are necessary because the backslash
       has special meaning when using the escape string syntax.)
      </P
></LI
><LI
><P
>       The <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>YYYY</TT
> conversion from string to <TT
CLASS="TYPE"
>timestamp</TT
> or
       <TT
CLASS="TYPE"
>date</TT
> has a restriction when processing years with more than 4 digits. You must
       use some non-digit character or template after <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>YYYY</TT
>,
       otherwise the year is always interpreted as 4 digits. For example
       (with the year 20000):
       <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_date('200001131', 'YYYYMMDD')</TT
> will be
       interpreted as a 4-digit year; instead use a non-digit
       separator after the year, like
       <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_date('20000-1131', 'YYYY-MMDD')</TT
> or
       <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_date('20000Nov31', 'YYYYMonDD')</TT
>.
      </P
></LI
><LI
><P
>       In conversions from string to <TT
CLASS="TYPE"
>timestamp</TT
> or
       <TT
CLASS="TYPE"
>date</TT
>, the <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>CC</TT
> (century) field is ignored
       if there is a <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>YYY</TT
>, <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>YYYY</TT
> or
       <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>Y,YYY</TT
> field. If <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>CC</TT
> is used with
       <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>YY</TT
> or <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>Y</TT
> then the year is computed
       as <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>(CC-1)*100+YY</TT
>.
      </P
></LI
><LI
><P
>       An ISO week date (as distinct from a Gregorian date) can be
       specified to <CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>to_timestamp</CODE
> and
       <CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>to_date</CODE
> in one of two ways:
       <P
></P
></P><UL
><LI
><P
>          Year, week, and weekday:  for example <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_date('2006-42-4',
          'IYYY-IW-ID')</TT
> returns the date
          <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>2006-10-19</TT
>.  If you omit the weekday it
          is assumed to be 1 (Monday).
         </P
></LI
><LI
><P
>          Year and day of year:  for example <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_date('2006-291',
          'IYYY-IDDD')</TT
> also returns <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>2006-10-19</TT
>.
         </P
></LI
></UL
><P>
      </P
><P
>       Attempting to construct a date using a mixture of ISO week and
       Gregorian date fields is nonsensical, and will cause an error.  In the
       context of an ISO year, the concept of a <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"month"</SPAN
> or <SPAN
CLASS="QUOTE"
>"day
       of month"</SPAN
> has no meaning.  In the context of a Gregorian year, the
       ISO week has no meaning.  Users should avoid mixing Gregorian and
       ISO date specifications.
      </P
></LI
><LI
><P
>       In a conversion from string to <TT
CLASS="TYPE"
>timestamp</TT
>, millisecond
       (<TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>MS</TT
>) or microsecond (<TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>US</TT
>)
       values are used as the
       seconds digits after the decimal point. For example
       <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_timestamp('12:3', 'SS:MS')</TT
> is not 3 milliseconds,
       but 300, because the conversion counts it as 12 + 0.3 seconds.
       This means for the format <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>SS:MS</TT
>, the input values
       <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>12:3</TT
>, <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>12:30</TT
>, and <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>12:300</TT
> specify the
       same number of milliseconds. To get three milliseconds, one must use
       <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>12:003</TT
>, which the conversion counts as
       12 + 0.003 = 12.003 seconds.
      </P
><P
>       Here is a more
       complex example:
       <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_timestamp('15:12:02.020.001230', 'HH:MI:SS.MS.US')</TT
>
       is 15 hours, 12 minutes, and 2 seconds + 20 milliseconds +
       1230 microseconds = 2.021230 seconds.
      </P
></LI
><LI
><P
>        <CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>to_char(..., 'ID')</CODE
>'s day of the week numbering
        matches the <CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>extract(isodow from ...)</CODE
> function, but
        <CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>to_char(..., 'D')</CODE
>'s does not match
        <CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>extract(dow from ...)</CODE
>'s day numbering.
      </P
></LI
><LI
><P
>        <CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>to_char(interval)</CODE
> formats <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>HH</TT
> and
        <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>HH12</TT
> as shown on a 12-hour clock, i.e. zero hours
        and 36 hours output as <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>12</TT
>, while <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>HH24</TT
>
        outputs the full hour value, which can exceed 23 for intervals.
      </P
></LI
></UL
><P>
   </P
><P
>   <A
HREF="functions-formatting.html#FUNCTIONS-FORMATTING-NUMERIC-TABLE"
>Table 9-23</A
> shows the
   template patterns available for formatting numeric values.
  </P
><DIV
CLASS="TABLE"
><A
NAME="FUNCTIONS-FORMATTING-NUMERIC-TABLE"
></A
><P
><B
>Table 9-23. Template Patterns for Numeric Formatting</B
></P
><TABLE
BORDER="1"
CLASS="CALSTABLE"
><COL><COL><THEAD
><TR
><TH
>Pattern</TH
><TH
>Description</TH
></TR
></THEAD
><TBODY
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>9</TT
></TD
><TD
>value with the specified number of digits</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>0</TT
></TD
><TD
>value with leading zeros</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>.</TT
> (period)</TD
><TD
>decimal point</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>,</TT
> (comma)</TD
><TD
>group (thousand) separator</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>PR</TT
></TD
><TD
>negative value in angle brackets</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>S</TT
></TD
><TD
>sign anchored to number (uses locale)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>L</TT
></TD
><TD
>currency symbol (uses locale)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>D</TT
></TD
><TD
>decimal point (uses locale)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>G</TT
></TD
><TD
>group separator (uses locale)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>MI</TT
></TD
><TD
>minus sign in specified position (if number &lt; 0)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>PL</TT
></TD
><TD
>plus sign in specified position (if number &gt; 0)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>SG</TT
></TD
><TD
>plus/minus sign in specified position</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>RN</TT
></TD
><TD
>Roman numeral (input between 1 and 3999)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>TH</TT
> or <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>th</TT
></TD
><TD
>ordinal number suffix</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>V</TT
></TD
><TD
>shift specified number of digits (see notes)</TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>EEEE</TT
></TD
><TD
>exponent for scientific notation</TD
></TR
></TBODY
></TABLE
></DIV
><P
>    Usage notes for numeric formatting:

    <P
></P
></P><UL
><LI
><P
>       A sign formatted using <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>SG</TT
>, <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>PL</TT
>, or
       <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>MI</TT
> is not anchored to
       the number; for example,
       <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(-12, 'MI9999')</TT
> produces <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>'-&nbsp;&nbsp;12'</TT
>
       but <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(-12, 'S9999')</TT
> produces <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>'&nbsp;&nbsp;-12'</TT
>.
       The Oracle implementation does not allow the use of
       <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>MI</TT
> before <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>9</TT
>, but rather
       requires that <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>9</TT
> precede
       <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>MI</TT
>.
      </P
></LI
><LI
><P
>       <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>9</TT
> results in a value with the same number of
       digits as there are <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>9</TT
>s. If a digit is
       not available it outputs a space.
      </P
></LI
><LI
><P
>       <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>TH</TT
> does not convert values less than zero
       and does not convert fractional numbers.
      </P
></LI
><LI
><P
>       <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>PL</TT
>, <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>SG</TT
>, and
       <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>TH</TT
> are <SPAN
CLASS="PRODUCTNAME"
>PostgreSQL</SPAN
>
       extensions.
      </P
></LI
><LI
><P
>       <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>V</TT
> effectively
       multiplies the input values by
       <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>10^<TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>n</I
></TT
></TT
>, where
       <TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>n</I
></TT
> is the number of digits following
       <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>V</TT
>.
       <CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>to_char</CODE
> does not support the use of
       <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>V</TT
> combined with a decimal point
       (e.g., <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>99.9V99</TT
> is not allowed).
      </P
></LI
><LI
><P
>       <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>EEEE</TT
> (scientific notation) cannot be used in
       combination with any of the other formatting patterns or
       modifiers other than digit and decimal point patterns, and must be at the end of the format string
       (e.g., <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>9.99EEEE</TT
> is a valid pattern).
      </P
></LI
></UL
><P>
   </P
><P
>    Certain modifiers can be applied to any template pattern to alter its
    behavior.  For example, <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>FM9999</TT
>
    is the <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>9999</TT
> pattern with the
    <TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>FM</TT
> modifier.
    <A
HREF="functions-formatting.html#FUNCTIONS-FORMATTING-NUMERICMOD-TABLE"
>Table 9-24</A
> shows the
    modifier patterns for numeric formatting.
   </P
><DIV
CLASS="TABLE"
><A
NAME="FUNCTIONS-FORMATTING-NUMERICMOD-TABLE"
></A
><P
><B
>Table 9-24. Template Pattern Modifiers for Numeric Formatting</B
></P
><TABLE
BORDER="1"
CLASS="CALSTABLE"
><COL><COL><COL><THEAD
><TR
><TH
>Modifier</TH
><TH
>Description</TH
><TH
>Example</TH
></TR
></THEAD
><TBODY
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>FM</TT
> prefix</TD
><TD
>fill mode (suppress padding blanks and trailing zeroes)</TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>FM9999</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>TH</TT
> suffix</TD
><TD
>upper case ordinal number suffix</TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>999TH</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>th</TT
> suffix</TD
><TD
>lower case ordinal number suffix</TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>999th</TT
></TD
></TR
></TBODY
></TABLE
></DIV
><P
>   <A
HREF="functions-formatting.html#FUNCTIONS-FORMATTING-EXAMPLES-TABLE"
>Table 9-25</A
> shows some
   examples of the use of the <CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>to_char</CODE
> function.
  </P
><DIV
CLASS="TABLE"
><A
NAME="FUNCTIONS-FORMATTING-EXAMPLES-TABLE"
></A
><P
><B
>Table 9-25. <CODE
CLASS="FUNCTION"
>to_char</CODE
> Examples</B
></P
><TABLE
BORDER="1"
CLASS="CALSTABLE"
><COL><COL><THEAD
><TR
><TH
>Expression</TH
><TH
>Result</TH
></TR
></THEAD
><TBODY
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(current_timestamp, 'Day,&nbsp;DD&nbsp;&nbsp;HH12:MI:SS')</TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>'Tuesday&nbsp;&nbsp;,&nbsp;06&nbsp;&nbsp;05:39:18'</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(current_timestamp, 'FMDay,&nbsp;FMDD&nbsp;&nbsp;HH12:MI:SS')</TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>'Tuesday,&nbsp;6&nbsp;&nbsp;05:39:18'</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(-0.1, '99.99')</TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>'&nbsp;&nbsp;-.10'</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(-0.1, 'FM9.99')</TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>'-.1'</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(0.1, '0.9')</TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>'&nbsp;0.1'</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(12, '9990999.9')</TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>'&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;0012.0'</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(12, 'FM9990999.9')</TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>'0012.'</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(485, '999')</TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>'&nbsp;485'</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(-485, '999')</TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>'-485'</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(485, '9&nbsp;9&nbsp;9')</TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>'&nbsp;4&nbsp;8&nbsp;5'</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(1485, '9,999')</TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>'&nbsp;1,485'</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(1485, '9G999')</TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>'&nbsp;1&nbsp;485'</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(148.5, '999.999')</TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>'&nbsp;148.500'</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(148.5, 'FM999.999')</TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>'148.5'</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(148.5, 'FM999.990')</TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>'148.500'</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(148.5, '999D999')</TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>'&nbsp;148,500'</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(3148.5, '9G999D999')</TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>'&nbsp;3&nbsp;148,500'</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(-485, '999S')</TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>'485-'</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(-485, '999MI')</TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>'485-'</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(485, '999MI')</TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>'485&nbsp;'</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(485, 'FM999MI')</TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>'485'</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(485, 'PL999')</TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>'+485'</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(485, 'SG999')</TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>'+485'</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(-485, 'SG999')</TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>'-485'</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(-485, '9SG99')</TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>'4-85'</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(-485, '999PR')</TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>'&lt;485&gt;'</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(485, 'L999')</TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>'DM&nbsp;485</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(485, 'RN')</TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>'&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;CDLXXXV'</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(485, 'FMRN')</TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>'CDLXXXV'</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(5.2, 'FMRN')</TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>'V'</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(482, '999th')</TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>'&nbsp;482nd'</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(485, '"Good&nbsp;number:"999')</TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>'Good&nbsp;number:&nbsp;485'</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(485.8, '"Pre:"999"&nbsp;Post:"&nbsp;.999')</TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>'Pre:&nbsp;485&nbsp;Post:&nbsp;.800'</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(12, '99V999')</TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>'&nbsp;12000'</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(12.4, '99V999')</TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>'&nbsp;12400'</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(12.45, '99V9')</TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>'&nbsp;125'</TT
></TD
></TR
><TR
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>to_char(0.0004859, '9.99EEEE')</TT
></TD
><TD
><TT
CLASS="LITERAL"
>' 4.86e-04'</TT
></TD
></TR
></TBODY
></TABLE
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